


The tortured and the healer

by SirWazza28



Category: Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-12-24 18:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21104009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirWazza28/pseuds/SirWazza28
Summary: When Jay and Natalie have a chance meeting will sparks fly or will their personal demons prove to be their undoing?





	1. Chapter 1:Late Night meeting

It was a crisp ,chilly Chicago night when Dr. Natalie Manning of Chicago Gaffney Memorial Hospital decided she needed to clear her head. After all, her son Owen was with the babysitter for the night and she had ended a particularly stressful shift ,so she thought she had earned her break from the world for a precious few hours or she thought. Just as she was walking in her own thoughts she felt being swipped aside hard by a jogger running past her wearing a dark hoodie ”Hey , watch where you’re going” she angrily and wearily exclaimed. The jogger stopped and removed his hoodie ,when she saw the jogger was a tall brownish hair and started to exclaim ”Look ,I’m really sorry,I should have watched where I was runnin…Wait Nat is that you?”. Natalie startled that the jogger knew her name cautiously approached him with trepidation until she could get a closer look at the jogger and breath a sigh of relief when she saw that the night time jogger was none other than Jay Halstead , brother of her one time flame Will Halstead and also an esteemed member of Chicago PD’s highly rated Intelligence Unit.

”Omg Jay I’m really sorry to scold you like that ..” but was cut off by Jay”No,its my fault really” he exclaimed sheepishly. “So ,what are you doing here at 2am?Hope it’s not to check up on a patient or responding to an emergency call”Jay asked while checking his Apple Watch worriedly as the neighbourhood had areputation for being rough. “No,no nothing like that thankfully ,just clearing my head “claimed Natalie while smiling at Jay for worrying about her safety “People like Jay never switch off their defensive mode even off duty”thought Natalie.”I get you,same thing here “ claimed Jay.Just as Jay was putting on his hoodie to continue his jog/run he heard Natalie call out “Hey Jay ,there’s a really good 24 diner around her ,do you wanna join me for a cup of coffe or something? I’m buying”asked Natalie. “If you’re buying I’m definitely taking you up on that offer “claimed Jay while hiding a smile.


	2. Coffee and Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee at 2 am can be taken just as friendly conversation right between friends right?

Jay and Natalie walked to the diner called Girdled which was only a 12 minute walk from where Jay had bumped into her ,however Natalie noticed Jay's eyes darting around like he expected trouble but she enjoyed the fact that he also was closely pressed to her like almost a bodyguard.Having reached the entrance of the diner,Natalie felt a pang of regret that accompanied her when Jay left her side to open the diner door .

Jay pulled out a chair for Natalie to sit at their table while simultaneously ordering a black coffee and nacho fries for himself and a latte with no foam and less sugar with a side salad for her."How did you know that's what I was going to order?" asked Natalie bemused at Jay guessing her drink and food order."Well to be honest ,I remember you mentioning that was your standard go to order in diners after the Jayhawk's game last year"answered Jay sheepishly. "Well,look at you a gentleman and a charmer "said Natalie teasingly."Yea, well I'm not just a pretty face you know" Jay said bantering with Natalie."Nothing wrong with having a pretty face though"answered Natalie .Jay face turned a shade of light pink which Natalie found to be slightly adorable."So how come you were jogging so late?' asked Natalie as nonchalantly as she could without revealing that she wanted to ask that question ever since Jay bumped into her .Jay looked lost in the moment before answering her"It helps keep me sane ,you know?" he answered.Natalie kept quiet for a while after hearing Jay's answer as the truth was she did understand what the war Jay had participated affected people not the least her late husband Jeff."Yea ,I know " answer Natalie wistfully and their conversation entered into an awkward silence.The awkward silence continued till after the waitress had brought their food and drink order and they ate in silence until Natalie decided to break the awkward silence by trying to swipe some of Jay's fries "Hey" Jay said while moving his nacho fries away from Natalie's grasp."Sorry,just thought that nacho fries looked too good not to try "said Natalie with a twinkle in her eye."Yea ,well you're not wrong there"Jay replied."Never am when it comes to nacho fries"said Natalie ."Well ,look at you Miss Modesty"Jay replied while cracking a smile.

They then sat in comfortable silence till Natalie realised it was getting late"Oh my god,I didn't realise realise it was getting to be 4 in the morning,I'm sorry to leave you Jay but I have to get back and catch some sleep before my shift"claimed Natalie apologetically."No worries ,Nat I understand go ahead and get home I'll cover the bill this time"said Jay understandingly."Thank you and once again ,Im truly sorry to leave you like this" said Natalie while she had one foot outside the diner door.

When Natalie arrived home 25 minutes later from the diner and had crept into her bed she realised she had one unread message from Jay which read "_Give me a text when you're home or I'll bust down your door tomorrow morning all guns blazing "._Natalie smiled and replied "_Yup,safely home no need to break down my door and scare the neighbours "._Natalie felt at peace for the first time in a while and she realised that she had Jay to thank for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of Chapter 2 folks.However you better buckle up because the next few Chapters are not gonna be this cosy.Leave a review if you want =)


	3. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay gets hurt and Natalie gets pissed.

It was a slow day at Chicago Gaffney Memorial Hospital and Natalie could not be more grateful for that ,as she was in emotional turmoil surrounding her late night diner "date" with Jay .She could not shake off the feeling of hurt she believed Will would feel if he found out she and his brother had a late night supper albeit not on purpose as she knew Will still deep down harboured some feelings for her with their interactions even though they had gone their separate ways a while ago and she didn't want to see he get hurt but at the same time she also couldn't ignore the feeling that Jay brought out in her.

'Hey Nat ,you ok?" asked her best friend Maggie Lockwood ,one of the most senior nurse and her best friend in the hospital."Yeah Mags,just spaced out you know by the way can you believe how quiet its been this week?" asked Nat hoping to divert the topic before Maggie started poking too deep into why Natalie was really spacing out about or whom. "Ssshh girl,don't jinx it" exclaimed Maggie while flashing a smile at Natalie while going back to her nursing staffing duties.Natalie flashed a smile back and quietly breathed a sigh of relief that her plan to prevent Maggie from digging further worked. 

Some time later, while passing by the break room she heard Will talking to someone and decided to go in to greet him but she got a shock when she realised Will was not alone when she saw a bloodied Jay being patched by Will together with Adam Ruzek and Hailey Upton who worked with Jay in the Intelligence Unit. "Omg Jay,what happened to you?" asked Natalie in doctor mode as she went to assist Will in patching up a bloodied Jay."I'll tell you what happened,me ,Jay and Adam got a call about some drug dealers slinging some high end grade cocaine to school kids in Jackson Park and went to arrest them ,we had them cornered too until one of the started shooting at us and Captain America here decided to chase after him without waiting for backup"claimed Hailey fumingly."Then ,what happened ?asked Natalie while dressing Jay's gaping wound on his shoulder while a feeling of dread in the pit of the stomach."Nothing much else happened , Hailey is just blowing the incident out of porpotion"claimed Jay while shooting Hailey an angry glare."Okay then Jay,why dont you tell me what happened then?" asked Natalie irritably."Look,Nat its not that serious I swear,I just got blindsided when chasing after the guy ,got into a fistfight that got out of hand but luckily Adam pulled the guy off me before anything else happened" answered Jay cautiously."Oh,that's all that happened is it,Jay?" exclaimed Natalie in a angry pitched voice "Well fine ,get hurt while being stupid ,I don't care" exclaimed Natalie angrily said while storming out leaving the three other occupants and Jay puzzled.

Jay had one thought after the scene with Natalie"_What the hell just happened?"._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear poor Jay what is a guy supposed to do?Wait and see what happens next time .Also just to wet the readers appetite, either Jay or Natalie gets jealous in one of the next few chapters and the blowout from that will be a doozy.  
As usual your reviews drive my creativity=)


	4. Patchwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay tries to understand Natalie's outburst but will she relent?

Natalie stormed out of the hospital in anger over Jay's nonchalant attitude towards his own well being."Hey Nat ,hold up" cried a voice behind her. Natalie turned around to see a an African women with curly hair who she immediately recongnised as April Sexton ,another one of her close friends and nurse struggling to catch up to her "April,what's up?" asked Natalie ."What do you mean whats up Nat, you blew a gasket Will's brother and stormed off so that's whats up?"claimed April somewhat anxiously."Oh that, that was nothing really, I was just having a bad day and I guess I took it out on Jay by default"claimed Natalie nervously hoping April like Maggie earlier would buy her story and not dig further."Hmm..okay if you say so I believe you but are you coming back into the hospital though your break ended 25 minutes ago?"claimed April."Oh,yea sure be there in a few minutes "said Natalie slightly relieved she once again dodged further questioning.

a little while later ...

Nat finally got out of the hospital needing a hot shower as her neck felt stiff and a tall glass of wine to help erase the memory of her outburst at Jay.She herself was still making sense of why she was got mad at Jay not like she was his girlfriend hell they didn't even know each other that well right?Although she did allow a small smile at the the thought of becoming Jays girlfriend she quickly shook her head trying to get rid of that thought when she saw someone all too familiar waiting at her apartment building. 

She took a deep breath before saying "Hey Jay what brings you here this time?' asked Nat pretending she didn't know why he was there."Are you serious Natalie, you really don't know why I'm here?" "Are you joking?"asked Jay bewildered ."Look,I understand I was out of line but I just snapped alright I could not understand why you didn't wait for backup"?countered Natalie with irritation ."I still don't get why that bothered you,it was my call"said Jay still bewildered."You know what Jay I don't have time to explain this to you I'm tired and all I want to do is just to have a nice shower and a tall glass of wine alright?"Natalie angrily said while brushing past Jay.Jay let her through silently once again left wondering"_I still have no idea what the hell I did_".

Natalie got to her apartment , slammed the door shut and slid down the door with one thought that scared her "_Oh shit,I have feelings for Jay Halstead_".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 4 it's heating up.I get that Jay has been a peripheral figure so far in the story but that will all change in the next chapter.  
Reviews drive my creativity =)


	5. Gifts& Green Eyed Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my loyal commenter Kira, these next chapters are dedicated to you

Natalie woke up the next morning still in shock at her previous night's realisation that she had feelings for Jay and went to work only to see a box of chocolates and some flowers waiting for her outside her locker.Surprised ,she picked the card attached wondering who her mystery sender was .She did not have to wonder for long as the card read "_Dear Natalie,I was wondering if you could forgive me for what I did and are free for a talk sometime?Kind Regards Jay Halstead_". Natalie smiled reading the card and decided to reply Jay through a text "_Hey Jay, thank you for the flowers and chocolates although it was unnecessary but yes I'm free tonight.Meet at Molly's tonight at 9 pm?=)=)=)._ Natalie did not need to wait long for a reply from Jay as a few minutes after she sent her text ,her phone pinged with a text from Jay "_Great see you at 9 ,Voight's got the team on stand down for the next two weeks due to the bust we made two days ago =)=)._

Natalie rushed off to her apartment as soon as her shift ended as she needed to dress well for her meet up with Jay.She finally settled on a red LRD,put on some lipstick and pumps and hoped she looked good then quickly set off for Molly's at 8:45.Natalie's heart was racing as she approached Molly's their local watering hole run by the city's finest firefighters and those who she was lucky to get to see everytime and continued to beat faster as she saw Jay was already there with some of PD's Intelligence Unit like Kevin, Hailey ,Adam and Kim Burgess together with the the 51 squad from the Fire Station like Kelly Severide, Stella,Brett who was a paramedic and Hermann who was a father figure to everyone who knew him and others from Chicago Memorial like April,Maggi and a few other nurses."Wow Nat,you look amazing "said Jay when he spotted Natalie ."You don't look too bad yourself Jay" and indeed he didn't as he could really pull off a long sleeve shirt that that showed off his muscular abs and fitted jeans.

'Anyways what could I get you to drink,so we can find a place to talk?" asked Jay."_Oh right,the talk she had avoided with everyone including Jay_" thought Natalie but said she wanted a vodka tonic and Jay promptly went to get it. A little while later,Natalie saw Jay carrying a mug of beer in one hand and her vodka tonic,she giggled a little as she watched Jay trying to manoveur without spilling their drinks."Alright now ,we have the drinks lets start the conversation "said Jay while sitting at a booth Nataalie had found while Jay went to get the drinks."Alright,why don't I begin by apologising at yelling at you in the first place Jay,I was out of line ?"said Natalie sheepishly while taking a big sip of her vodka tonic."I accept your apology Nat,but the thing I 'm most puzzled about is why did you blow up at me in the first place?"Jay asked somewhat serious.Natalie gulped before she decided to answer him truthfully "Look Jay ,the truth is I blew up at you for putting yourself is becau-",however Natalie could not finih her sentence because at that moment both Stella and Brett came over and were all over Jay "Omg Jay we have to dance "exclaimed Stella drunkenly"Yea ,come dance with us Jay"said Brett equally or more drunk than Stella."I don't know ladies,I was just in an important conversation with Natalie here"claimed Jay unassuredly."It's alright jay ,go ahead ,the conversation can wait"said Natalie with a strained smile"You sure?" Jay asked hesistantly ."Positive"claimed Natalie although her heart felt heavy when Jay got up and started dancing with Brett and Stella and got heavier when she saw both of them getting handsy with Jay the longer the song went on.Natalie decided she had enough and left the bar after 20 minutes of seeing Jay dance with not only Stela and Brett but also with Hailey and Kim. _"Sorry,got a headache.Went home.Catch up soon I promise with answers xo Natalie "_read Natalie's message to Jay when she reached back to her apartment .Natalie realised that she got the green eyed jealousy bad for Jay Halstead and it was worse than she thought "_What am I going to do_"thought Nat as she hit the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 5 dear readers.Also I added the xo in Natalie's message in the end for a reason .Look out for the blowout between Jay and Natalie in the coming chapters.Also I just want to say you probably won't see much cop language or medical jargon in my story as I am not familiar enough to do justice to those noble professions .


	6. Confusion All Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie's jealousy continues and decides to loop Jay in on her feelings.How will he react?

Natalie woke up in the morning and looked at her alarm clock which read 5:45 am which elicted a groan from her as she realised the vodka tonics hit her like a ton of bricks. She then checked her phone only to realise she had 3 missed calls and 5 messages from Jay.She sat up with a start and started scrolling through the messages which ranged from confusion to acceptance in regards to her disappearance from Molly's the previous night. She shook her head as she recalled the insane jealousy she got when she saw Jay dancing with Stella and Brett as she wanted to be the only one Jay danced with.She then took a showered and headed straight to Med . She found April,Maggie and a few of the other nurses in an excited conversation and felt compelled to join the."Hey guys,whats the excitement about"? asked Natalie curiously.

"Oh ,nothing much ,we are all drooling over that hot detective..what's his name Dr .Halstead's brother?" answered a nurse named Brittney said.Natalie's blood ran cold when she heard that answer "Jay ..Jay Halstead" answered April blissfully unaware that Natalie was about 10 minutes away from screaming at the nurse."Oh, yeah thats it"chimed in another redheaded nurse whose name was Veronica ."He's a real good dancer ,does not hurt at all that his abs were rock hard" continued Veronica without realising Natalie was struggling real hard to control her temper but it was a loosing battle."Yea ,if I knew he would be at Molly's I would definately had gone out more often" said Brittney."Ok, thats enough talk of guys and their abs.. how about we get on with with our job right, ladies"? snapped Natalie.The nurses got red faced and left the nurses desk and scrambled to their respective duties "Whoa , Nat you alright ,Ive never seen you lose your cool like that ..especially not with nurses"exclaimed April shocked at Natalie's outburst."Yea ..sorry I guess this hangover's got me spinning and prone to outbursts" said Natalie with a weak smile."Get ,some rest ,Nat" said April with a smile of her own then went back to her nursing duties.

Natalie slammed against her locker and she came to a realisation when she took out her phone and texted the source of her confusion"_Hey Jay, can we meet in the park at 1:30?Really important to tell you something"._Her phone pinged 90 seconds late_"Sure Nat,I've always got time for you=)._Oh boy,thought Natalie this is it I'm gonna tell Jay Halstead I have feelings for him.

Natalie walked to the park with knots in her stomach and seeing jay in shorts with a short sleeve shirt muscles bulging waiting for her on the bench did not do anything to quell the knot in her stomach."Hey Nat,whats that important thing you gotta tell me? Are you ok?Did a patient hurt you or threaten you?asked Jay concernedly."No,no nothing of that sort Jay,its just that for some time I 've been struggling with some feelings "started Natalie but got interuppted by Jay again"What feelings?Like are you sick? asked Jay still in his concerned mode ."No Jay,woah here it is Jay ,I think..I think that I've fallen for you"said Natalie in a hurriedly manner.Jay was stunned"Wait..what?Could you repeat that ?said Jay._"Oh my god I've made a huge mistake"_ thought Natalie.Natalie doing damage control quickly added "You know what Jay ,forget this meeting ever happened" said Natalie while hurrying off. Jay having come back to his senses just found his voice to shout "Wait Natalie come back" but it was too late Natalie was far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUM DUM DUM Cliffhangar eh?Gotta wait till Chapter 7 to see what happens.  
Reviews drive my creativity =)


	7. Confessions &Secret Understandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay reveals how he truly feels and they come to an agreement

Natalie could not get out of the park fast enough cursing herself"_Stupid, that was stupid Nat_" she thought to herself .Her only saving grace was that she could bury herself in work for the next few hours and forget that humilating episode happened . Soon it was time for Natalie to end her shift and she could not wait to get back to her apartment and bury herself in her pillow.She got as far as the sidewalk of the exit when she heard a familiar voice call out to her "Hey Nat ,can we talk?" said none other than Jay Halstead.Natalie gulped down the lump she didn't realise had been in her throat "Listen Jay the thi-" she got as far as that but was interrupted by Jay"Nat ,no more excuses and no more interruptions ,at least hear me out ,you owe me that much at least" said Jay softly but firmly."Ok Jay ,you're right I owe you at least that much " said Natalie and patted him to sit down next to hear on the hospital bench. "Alright Nat,let me begin ,by saying I already knew you had feelings for me,I was just stunned that you admitted it to me so soon"exclaimed Jay to a startled Natalie."But how?" asked a befuddled Natalie."Jay held up her message from the night they met up at Molly's "Look at the last two alphabets Nat".Natalie's eyes froze on the phrase "_XO,Natalie" "Oh Shit_ "Natalie thought."Yea ,thats when I knew the real reason you flipped out at me,I just wanted to be sure but honestly I didn't expect you to admit it Natalie"said Jay."Nat decided to take the plunge and ask Jay the question she was dreading to hear the answer to "What about you Jay,do you like me like that?" asked Natalie shaking with fear and excitement."Natalie Manning ,I more than like you that way ,I am head over heels for you and have been for a while now" exclaimed Jay.Natalie let out the breath out she did not realise she had been keeping in and did the only thing she could have in that moment she pulled Jay in for a kiss."Wow, if I had known that would have been your response I should have confessed a while ago"joked Jay after their kiss ended. That response earned him a punch from Natalie"Ha,ha " said Natalie sportingly and they sat quietly for a period of time just soaking up the atmosphere of finally acknowledging their mutual interest for each other.

''Hey, Nat,not to ruin the moment but we have to discuss something really important"said Jay serious breaking the peaceful silence."About what,Jay? asked Natalie quizzingly ."Us ,we cant make our relationship publicly yet,I need to talk to Will because of the whole him being in love with you , not to mention the whole you two dating and breaking up episode ,you understand"?asked Jay with a painful expression ."It's alright Jay ,I get it and more importantly understand completely,I don't mind keeping our relationship a secret for as long as you need "said Natalie understandingly."Thanks Natalie,you're amazing"said Jay while standing up from the bench and pulled up Natalie from the bench."As my first official act as boyfriend permit me to walk you back to your apartment building?"said Jay while slipping his hands into hers."Absolutely ,what kind of girlfriend would I be if I refused?" answered Natalie.It was'nt perfect but close enough thought Natalie as she and Jay walked hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 7.Well you honestly didn't think I was going to put poor Natalie through the wringer did you?Anyways buckle up the next few chapters will have everything, a sexy scene, a fistfight between brothers,more jealousy,oh my!!!!!!


	8. Disaster Looming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in a secret relationship is a struggle for Jay and Natalie but will it get better or worse?

It was a week when Natalie and Jay secretly became a couple but found it easier to act like platonic friends around their group of friends. That is until that Friday night when the Med group,Squad 51 and Intelligence Unit all got together at Molly's for a well deserved break from the pressures of work.The night started well enough when Kim,Adam, Hailey , April ,Severide, Brett , Natalie and Jay all found a booth to sit together."Oh man ,it's been a hell of week over at Squad 51, we've had to put out 5 fires within a 7 block radius in the space of 3 days " said Severide breaking the ice."Wait,was that the patients from Damen Avenue that flooded our Emergency Unit on Tuesday?" asked Nat quizically ."Yea ,same one "answered Severide while taking a long gulp of his beer the tension palpable. with Brett nodding affirmatively."Hmm ,that must be the same one me and Kim responded to involving a couple of thefts regarding stolen jewellery" said Adam."Yea ,I am lead on that case as Voight assigned it to me"chimed in Jay.

"Well you all have to deal with Nat here, as she's the primary caregiver for majority of the patients as she was on-call that day" said April."Gee, what did we ever do to get lucky like that"" asked Jay in a joking manner while simultaneously squeezing Natalie's hand under the table. "Don't know, guess you Halstead guys just can't resist my charms?" bantered back Natalie earning a laugh from the rest of the table whiel squeezing Jay's hand back in solidarity.The talk then became lighter as all talk about the fire on damen Avenue died off.It was close to 11 pm when Natalie got up to leave"Damn guess ,do't wanna leave but am the on call duty on doctor tomorrow as well,so gonna head home and catch some sleep "said Natalie while heading for the exit of Molly's."Yea, its getting that time of night for me as well ,hey nat care to let a charming ,good looking detective walk you home?" asked Jay nonchantly "Sure Jay, where is he?"said Natalie while failing to hid a developing smile."Oof Nat ,got you good there bud "said a slightly tipsy Severide and once again there was a round of laughter from the table.Jay and Natalie left Molly's with that chorus of laughter behind them and when they felt they were a safe distance the then linked arms and continued their walk to Natalie's apartment.

"You coming up for a nightcap"? said Natalie suggestively to Jay."Yea, I think I've got time to spare for a nightcap" said Jay cheekily.As soon as they entered Natalie's apartment ,they went at each other kissing each other with a ferocious passion when suddenly they heard a sound "Hey Nat- but that sound froze when he saw Nat and Jay in mid liplock and scurried a way.However not before Natalie and Jay realised who had caught them in the act" Crap was that-?"Jay started to ask but got the dreaded confirmation by Natalie "Yup that was Will". "Damn" said Jay as he started to chase after Will before he left the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thats the end of Chapter 8 and what's this another clifffhnger? Yup.  
Stay tuned to Chapter 9 for the conclusion of this reveal


	9. Blows and Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Jay come to blows but will a talk with Natalie change Will's mind?

Jay scrambled after Will hoping to catch up with him before Will could leave Natalie's apartment building.Jay got lucky as he was the faster of the two being a soldier and all and managed to intercept Will on the first floor."Will ,hold up let me ex-"was all Jay could get out before Will's fist collided with his jaw ."Really Jay,of all people Nat is the one you went for?" Will said angrily."No man,listen it wasn't at all lik-"again Jay got caught blindsided by a punch to this solar plexus."Enought man,listen let me explain"said Jay while blocking Will's blows.However it was clear Will was in no mood to talk and Jay got frustrated with constantly blocking Wills blows decided to fight back.As the Halstead brothers got into a increasingly vicious fight they heard a shout"ENOUGH" which came from Natalie.They stopped fighting both looking disgusted with themselves when Natalie came marching over with the angriest face they had ever seen"Jay,go the hospital and check yourself for injuries"said Natalie grimly.Jay turned to argue but the look on Natalie's face silenced him and he left the building presumably to get his wounds checked out."As for you Will,I expected better,as a collegue ,as a previous boyfriend but most importantly as my best friend"said Natalie angrily."How did you expect me to react Nat?I'm hurt that you and Jay kept this from me" said Will despondently."Listen Will,it was never our intention to keep this from you, we just wanted some space for ourself's before we let it out in the open that we were in a relationship.Also one more thing ,me and Jay work together as a couple, we understand each other in ways I don't think others can .We click together me and Jay ,that's why I'm with Jay .At the end of the Will we could never work out with each other" said Natalie her anger subsiding."Listen Will,you will always be my best friend nothing's going to change that,you understand?As for Jay and me being in a relationship I hope you will be okay with that"said Natalie wistfully . Will listened still despondently "Well,Nat if thats how you feel about Jay,I'm happy for you ,but we can't go back to being how we were unfortunately for a while"said Will ."I get it Will, I really do"said Natalie with a sad smile understanding that she put herself in this position."Well ,I guess I have to apologise to Jay for being a dick eh?" said Will with a wistful smile.Will left without giving Natalie a chance to reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 9 and it was a doozy.Next chapter will have the Halstead brothers patch up their differences.


	10. Brotherly Love and  Time Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay and Will have a heart to heart talk and Will makes a decision about his time in Chicago.

Will paused and let out a breath of air he didn't realise he was holding when he forced himself to knock on Jay's apartment door and braced himself for his brother to open the door.He did not have to wait for long as he heard the door open slightly and came face to face with his brother nursing a darkening eye and holding some wrapped ice on his ribs."Yes"?said Jay woodenly."Look Jay, can I come in ,we need to talk"said Will apprehensively.Will got his answer when Jay silently open the door wider and stood away from it."Look,I'm sorry for the sucker punch alright, its just that catching you and Natalie in that position shocked me alright?said Will hesistantly. Jay's face softened when he realised what Will was trying to convey"Cmon ,have a sit" said Jay.He handed Will a beer which Will accepted and begin gulping down."Look Will ,it's not that we did not want to tell you but we wanted to break the news when the time was right and for what's its worth I wish you had not found out me and Nat were in a relationship the way you did."said Jay forlornly."You're my baby brother and it's my job to protect you, no matter what "continued Jay voice cracking."But today,I failed as a big brother and I will never live that moment down"said Jay trying to keep from breaking down."Hey..hey Jay it's alright it's ok I understand"said Will comfortingly."I get it Jay, talking to Nat earlier made me realise that you and her are the perfect match ,not me and her and i just want to say I approve of this relationship,Jay .said Will while hoping his brother forgave himself."Thanks ,man that means the world to me ,you know that"?said Jay holding back tears."I do, but I also know I need to take a step back from Chicago for awhile"said Will trying as much as he could to break the news to Jay gently ."What, where you going to go?" said Jay shocked at this revelation from Will."I don't know ,maybe back to New York as I have some leave to burn through and its perfect weather for the next 3 months"said Will ."I'm going to miss you man"said Jay while pulling Will in a bear hug trying so hard to keep the tears from falling."Its for the best at this moment Jay"said Will again trying to convince Jay it was not his fault.Will left Jay's apartment later that afternoon and stared at the Chicago's skyline knowing he won't be seeing it for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ends Chapter 10 and it was a sad one for me to write .Chapter 11 will be posted in the few days.


	11. Night terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie learns that sharing a bed with Jay is not always easy to deal with.

With Will taking a sabbatical from Gaffney, Jay and Natalie were somewhat relieved he had not told anyone as to the real reason he was taking a sabbatical but felt the awkwardness between them for a while.

A few weeks later.........

Nat opened the door to Jay's apartment as they agreed two weeks earlier that always going back to Natalie's apartment was a)unwise due to what occurred with Will b)Owen was not ready to meet with Jay and most importantly Jay's apartment was closer to Gaffney and the Police station,hence why Jay made Natalie a spare key to his apartment.She was glad Jay realised that meeting Owen at this moment in time was not appropriate but she did want her son to meet the second most important man in her life and soon.But at the moment ,coming off a 16 hour shift, all she wanted to do at that moment was to shower and hit the bed.However, once she got to the bedroom she found Jay asleep which as tired as she was she couldn't but find him adorable.She quietly went to change into her night tee and slipped into bed hoping for sleep to come quickly.

Natalie woke up with a start and glanced at the bedside clock which read 2:30 am and wondered what had caused her to be woken up so early when she felt Jay thrashing around in his sleep violently.Panicking she quickly grabbed Jay's shoulder and yelled"JAY,JAY wake up it's okay you're having a nightmare ,Wake UP!!!"exclaimed Natalie.Jay woke up with an rabid look in his eyes and was also starting to sweat but calmed down when he realised that Natalie was beside him with worry etched all over her face."Nat,what are you doing here ?What time is it?" said Jay still in his dazed state."Calm down Jay,its 2:30 in the morning" said Natalie calmly."What happened,are you alright?" asked Jay concernedly ."Yes,I'm fine ,you on the other hand had an intense nightmare .Wanna talk about it?"asked Natalie concernedly."Oh....look Nat I'm sorry if I frightened you,it's just that sometimes when I dream it feels like I'm back in Fallujah"said Jay quietly.Understandingly Natalie laid her head on Jay's shoulder as a way to comfort him."Its okay Jay,you're here and safe with me now " said Natalie."You truly are an angel Nat,you know that" said Jay lovingly .Nat could only beam hearing that."Well,we better get some sleep as tomorrow's another long day"said Jay."Goodnight Jay,sweet dreams "said Natalie."Now that you're beside me Nat,I don't need sweet dreams I've got you"said Jay sleepily.Nat smiled at that words but also had a plan working in her head to better understand Jay's time in the war in order to heal Jay's wounded soul.She was here for Jay through the good ,bad and ugly times.Jay had been a soldier enough,she was going to be his protector now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 11 folks.Things get rough for the couple in the next 2-3 chapters though ,don't miss it


	12. Unbreakable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay and Natalie talk about the the previous night and Nat makes a promise.

Jay woke the next morning with a uneasy feeling but that was quickly erased from his mind when he smelt strong coffee and realised that Natalie had gotten up and made coffee for the both of them."Hey, good morning "said Jay still a bit sleepily."Good morning, "said Natalie while giving Jay a lopsided smile which did not go unnoticed by Jay."What's up?" queried Jay not liking Natalie's lopsided smile."It's just that,Jay we have to talk about last night"sighed Natalie moving to sit with Jay on the breakfast table."Last night?" a puzzled Jay asked."Yes ,Jay about last night when you nearly gave me a black eye while you trashed around in your sleep ?"said Natalie worriedly"Oh, yeah about that Nat,I'm really sorry I get night terrors sometimes I should have warned you earlier"said Jay slightly ashamed"Hey ,hey ,listen to me Jay what you're experienced in the Iraq was something I wish upon no one,I understand really Jeff used to be same ,if not worse "said Natalie understandingly"This sucks Nat,you don't deserve to be caught up in my nightmares ,I really don't want you to go through what you did with Jeff with me as well but most of all I wont be a burden on you, you deserve better than that "exclaimed Jay extremely upset and starting to get agitated."Listen to me Jay,you are not a burden Jay Halstead , not to me ,you're a war hero but you're also a wounded soldier who tries to make the street of Chicago a safe one every day for the future and I can't be more prouder to call you my boyfriend "exclaimed Natalie while cusping her hands with Jays's as a show of emotional support and strength."Nat,I don't know what to say,but are you really sure you want to be stuck dealing with my mess and scarred soul"said Jay still unsure."Everyday Jay, every day I promise you we will get through the bad and ugly days together when you feel like it's getting to it,it wont't be easy but we will overcome this together,that I promise you"excaim Nat with absolute confidence.

"Alright Nat,together we will beat this, and I promise i will beat this with you by my side"exclaimed Jay while planting a kiss on Natalie.With that,Natalie knew she had made the right call to be together with Jay .


	13. Roadblocks lead to Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay gets hurt again and Nat takes a stand against his utter recklessness by giving him a surprise.

Natalie was filing in some pediatric surgical reports for the afternoon surgery schedule when Voight and Atwater stumbled in with a very injured Jay in tow."Oh my gosh Jay,what happened "?said Natalie trying to keep the fear and panic from her demeanour and more importantly her voice . "Maggie,I 'm taking him to Trauma 2 " said Natalie assertively."Alright Natalie,I'm paging Ethan to join in "said Maggie.After Natalie had gotten Jay onto the medical bed and sedated him to properly assess his injuries she turned to Voight"So ,how did this happen?"Routine call for burglary,me and Jay were in the neighbourhood catching up with an old friend ,when we heard the call and were nearby ,so we went after the suspects ,but one of them managed to get the drop on Jay and while he held his own for a while,his previous injuries flared up again meaning that the perp mange to hurt him badly enough"."We've got Burgess,Ruzek and Hailey canvassing the area ,we will get the asshole that did this" said Voight in his usual sombre gravelly tone.Just then Voight's phone rang an he answered with a serious face and came back after 5 minutes"Listen Natalie,me and Kevin have to go,we've got a lead on where the leader of the burglary ring could possibly be hiding out ,but give us ring if his condition changes alright?'said Voight. "Will do,hope you get the guy that did this" said Natalie half anxious half hopeful.Both Voight and Atwater gave Natalie a curt nod before exiting the hospital leaving Natalie to taker care of her extremely beaten up secret boyfriend ._"Oh Jay,what am I going to do about you and your reckless behaviour?"_thought Natalie still in panicked mode.

Later that night.....

Jay stirred but immediately regretted that action as every move he made made him feel like he was on fire and he immediately groaned and dazed he tried to reach out to grab something to steady himself but he only succeeded in knocking down his medical tray which immediately startled a napping Natalie."Whoa,easy there Jay you're pretty banged up here let me help you"claimed Natalie while rushing to Jay's side to help him sit up on the hospital bed."Oh man ,I feel like a truck hit me"exclaimed Jay still feeling woozy and disoriented."Yeah ,well count your luck stars ,you only suffered a mild- mid range concussion , and two broken ribs ,plus some heavy bruising around your thighs and legs"said Natalie a bit off put."Yea look Nat,I know what you're gonna say but please don't not now at least"said Jay understanding and sensing the aggravation in Natalie's voice."No jay ,you know what ,you're right we don't need to have this conversation right now ,I'm going home,see you in a couple of hours hopefully you will understand how putting yourself in danger constantly and unnecessarily affects me"said Natalie while storming out of the medical room. "_Damn,I've got a lot of apologising to do_" thought Jay.

Jay woke up from his troubled slumber when he heard a knock on his door"Come in " he said groggily thinking it was one of collegues in Intelligence or Natalie.Instead ,he saw a small boy about 3 years old shyly enter he room but Jay instantly recongnised him as Owen ,Natalie's son."Hey buddy,what are you doing here ?"asked Jay concerdly wondering if he Owen had wondered off from Natalie's sight and hoping she wouldn't be panicking but he go his answer soon when he heard Natalie"Owens here because I want to introduce him to the person whose going to be around him more and more ,that's you Jay"said Natalie."Wait Nat ,are you sure,this is not really the best time"said Jay hesistantly. 

"No Jay,this is the perfect time and the reason I get so upset at you"You need to learn to be more cautious especially as i want you to be Owen's life now more than ever"said Natalie."I understand ,Natalie and I will now that I have something to look forward to coming back everyday ,now that I'm not alone anymore"said Jay.The rest of the day flew by as Jay and Natalie came to a silent understanding .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 13 and boy it was a long one but hopefully you a s readers will enjoy it.  
AN:Did anyone catch Jay's& Natalie's ending scene's last night.It was fantastic

**Author's Note:**

> Well guys ,that’s it for the first Chapter 1.I’ll hopefully post Chapter 2 soon .Leave a review if you want=).


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